Anam Cara
25th Anniversary Edition
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
"In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, you will find John a "soul friend" on your own journey through life, offering support and solace, clarity, and consciousness-expanding narratives that invite you to experience relationships with people, nature, and even your inner world in new ways that nurture well-being and resilience in these challenging times." -Daniel J. Siegel, MD, Neuropsychiatrist and New York Times Bestselling Author
A special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author's brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends.
In this revered classic, John O'Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul.
With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit. This timeless collection nourishes the heart and elevates the spirit. It is "a book to read and reread forever." (Irish Times)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Anam is the Gaelic word for soul; cara is the word for friend. So Anam Cara means soul friend." So begins poet, priest and scholar O'Donohue as he examines the meanings and different phases of the Celtic life and how they blend together, symbolized by the Celtic circle. Through a series of short essays, he looks at love and contends that "technology and media are not uniting the world." In a world preoccupied with computers and the Internet, O'Donohue turns back to earth and nature and the Celts' obsession with them. Although a Catholic priest, he urges "acceptance of eros," which was rudimentary to the Celt. He defines "styles of visions" and breaks them down into fearful, greedy, judgmental, resentful, indifferent, inferior and loving, and he shows how they have robbed our hearts in a modern society. He looks on negative qualities--vices to most people--and urges us "to exercise kindness towards them." He warns "that one of the greatest sins is the unlived life." O'Donohue also examines creativity in the workplace; aging--a time of freedom, he says--and the importance of "time as a circle"; and finally, the meeting with the one that "came out of the womb with you"--death. Decorated with the myths of old Ireland--faeries, forts, ghosts, the sacredness of the land and the imagination of the people--and ingrained with a sense of deep Irishness, this book will be a lively spiritual companion to all Celts--or to those who are Celtic in their hearts. 150,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; author tour; rights: Kim Witherspoon.
